So Sunday Riley quietly swapped the oil and changed the vitamin C in CEO Glow. No fanfare. No apology. Just a new bottle that feels different on your face. The old version? Thick, golden, almost buttery — you could feel it sinking in. The new one? Thin. Almost watery. Dries down in about 8 seconds flat. That sounds good, but it’s not.
The problem isn’t the texture. It’s that the old one left a visible glow for hours. This one vanishes under makeup like it never happened.
🔬 **What You’re Actually Buying**
It’s $85 for 1 oz. A vitamin C face oil with turmeric for “brightening.” They swapped THD ascorbate (fat-soluble, stable) for ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate (also fat-soluble, but more finicky about oxidation). Feels lighter. Absorbs faster. But it also feels less nourishing.
1. **THD Ascorbate (old)** — Sinks deep, stays active longer.
2. **Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (new)** — Brighter on contact, fades faster on skin.
3. **Turmeric** — Still there. Still stains your pillowcase if you’re heavy-handed.
🔄 **The Ingredient Swap Nobody Asked For**
Old formula: THD ascorbate + turmeric + a blend of oils (grape seed, jojoba, rosehip). New formula: ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate + turmeric + a thinner oil base (less rosehip, more fractionated coconut). The hero ingredients are still vitamin C and turmeric, but the delivery system changed entirely. The turmeric is still doing the heavy lifting for anti-inflammatory glow. The C is just… different.
– **Vitamin C (new form):** Brightens fast, oxidizes faster on shelf
– **Turmeric:** Still the real MVP for redness
– **Rosehip oil (less of it):** Less fatty acid goodness
– **Fractionated coconut oil:** Lighter, but less moisturizing
⚠️ **The Texture Test**
First pump: “Oh, this is nice — very liquid, spreads easily.” First 10 seconds: “Wait, where did it go?” It absorbs like a dry oil, which sounds luxurious but actually leaves my combo skin feeling a little tight by midday. The old version sat on top for a minute, then melted in. This one disappears. I actually missed the slip.
Week 2: My skin looked fine. Not dull. But not *lit from within* the way the old formula made me look. The glow was more of a sheen — polite, not radiant. What surprised me most? The bottle empties faster. You need 4-5 drops of the new formula vs. 2-3 of the old. That’s $85 gone in 6 weeks instead of 10.
💡 **One Thing** — Apply to damp skin. Dry skin makes it vanish too fast. Damp skin gives it 30 extra seconds to actually work.
📋 **Did It Actually Do Anything?**
Measurable change: Slight brightening around day 5. Pores looked a tiny bit smaller (temporary). Redness from my maskne calmed down. What didn’t change: The glow level. No one asked if I did something different. With the old formula, I got compliments.
✅ **Buy if** — You have oily skin and hate the feeling of oil. This is basically a serum in oil clothing.
⏭️ **Skip if** — You loved the original. You will be disappointed. Also skip if you have dry skin — this won’t cut it in winter.
💰 **Worth it?** — For $85, no. The old formula was. This feels like a cost-cutting move dressed as an “improvement.”
💬 **Final Say**
It’s fine. It’s not better. If you never tried the original, you’ll probably like it. If you did, you’ll be annoyed you didn’t stock up.
⭐ **6.8/10** — Better for oily skin, worse for glow
🛍️ **Where to Buy** — Sephora or Sunday Riley direct. Try the mini first ($32) — saves you $53 if you hate it.